Non-woven fibrous webs or media have been manufactured for many years for many end uses including filtration. Such non-woven materials can be made by a variety of procedures including air laid, spunbonding, melt bonding and papermaking techniques. The manufacture of a broadly applicable collection of media with varied applications, properties or performance levels using these manufacturing techniques have required a broad range of compositions of fiber and other components and often require multiple process steps. In order to obtain an array of media that can serve to satisfy the broad range of uses, a large number of compositions and multi step manufacturing techniques have been utilized. These complexities increase costs and reduce flexibility in product offerings. A substantial need exists to reduce complexity in the need for a variety of media compositions and manufacturing procedures. One goal in this technology is to be able to make a range of media using a single or reduced number of source materials and a single or reduced numbers of process steps.
Media have a variety of applications including liquid and air filtration, as well as dust and mist filtration, among other types of filtration. Such media can also be layered into layered media structures. Layered structures can have a gradient that results from layer to layer changes. Many attempts at forming gradients in fibrous media have been directed towards filtration applications. However, the disclosed technology of the prior art of these filter media are often layers of single or multiple component webs with varying properties that are simply laid against one another, or stitched or otherwise bonded together during or after formation. Bonding different layers together during or after layer formation does not provide for a useful continuous gradient of properties or materials. A discrete and detectable interface between layers will exist in the finished product. In some applications, it is highly desirable to avoid the increase in flow resistance that is obtained from such interfaces in the formation of a fibrous medium. For example, in airborne or liquid particulate filtration, the interface(s) between layers of the filter element is where trapped particulate and contaminants often builds up. Sufficient particle buildup between layers at the interfaces instead of within the filter media can result in shorter filter life.
Other manufacturing methods such as needling and hydro entangling can improve the mixing of layers, but these methods often result in a filter media that typically contains larger pore sizes which result in low removal efficiencies for particles less than 20 microns (g) in diameter. Also, needled and hydroentangled structures are often relatively thick, heavy basis weight materials which limits the amount of media that can be used in a filter.